St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1887-06-18
GEN. DRUMS AMBITION
Inspired the Order to Return the
Rebel Battle Flags.


at was undoubtedly due to bed adj
vice." said Gen. S. d. SturgiS, as he sat
in the Ryan rotunda, that the president
made one OF the most griexouS mistakes
of his administration in ordering the
restoration to the Southern states OF the
flags taken from their troops during the
Rebellion by the Union forces. And |
would not have to look very far for the
source OF inspiration which, without a.
doubt, emanateG from Adit Gen. Drum.
In about two years Drum will he eligi-
bic for retirement from the army, and
he is seeking distinction at the hands OF
the militia OF this country, for whom he
has recently conceived d remarkable in
fatuatiGn. His plan, according to my
idea, was to restore these trophies Of
hard Won victories TO the conquered Of
the South, and then appeal to them to
stand by him in his efforts to become
the head of the militia OF the
United States. As matter of
fact, Adjt, Gen. Drum never
performed any active service during
the war. but his affiliations and sym
pathieS were always with the Sou th.
When hOstilitieS were actually inaugur-
ated he worked his strings in such
manner that he was ordered out to San
y
the Pacific coast during the entire
struggle. Consequently he had no idea of
thevalue Of these hard won battle flags
to the veterans who had been manned
and disabled in e4Tecting- their capture
Powerful influence Was exeFted in
his behalf, which eliminated in his
being made adjutant general of the
army, with headquarters at Washington,
and as he is a pretty shrewd manip-
ulator,, it did not take him long to
acquire possession of all the ropes.
With the advent of a new adminiSsEa-
ton he was enabled to put this
knowledge to good use in furthering
his own ambitious plans, and he soon
became intimate at the White house. l
told Col Lamont on one occasion when
| called
TO SEE THE PRESIDENT
and learned of the faith imposed Oh
Gen. Drum, that some day Mir. CleYe-
land would find that he had been i'm
posed upon and the recent executive
order has verified my prediction. Sec
rotary Endic0tt was early and fayorably
impressed by Drum as to his knowledge
of the affairs of the war department,and
thus became a strong ally at the White
house when any assertion that the adj
jutant general made was accepted as
J..
result OF the executive order will be to
array the ex-Union soldiers of this coun-
try, and especially the Grand Army OF
the Republic, in solid phalanx against
the president, should he entertain any
notion of denomination. 1t will not
avail him much that the order was sub
Sequently reScinded, for it's issue
showed a disposition to cater to the
South that must prove diStaSteful to
every veteran of the war, be he Demo-
crat or Republican. And for this
trouble he has only to thank
Adj. Gen. Drum, for his handi-
work is plainly discernible in the
wording of the obnoxious document.
And he was merely endeavoFing to
make 8 catspaw OF the president to pull
his cheStnutS out of the fire under the
ftimSy preteXt of a wish to eliminate
from the minds of the rising genera
ton. the fact that their fathers had been
forced TO succumb to a superior power.
There was no necessity for any such
move, save i'll boiStering up Drums
cause with the militia and enlisting
Southern organizations in his behalf
for their cOInmanderfIi-ciiie SO
strong was the influence of Drum at the
White house that the idea was seriously
entertained at one time of comforting
upon the last vacant major generalShip,
but a canvass of the senate showed that
his confirmation could not .be consum-
mated and SO the matter WAS allowed to
lapse. This order of the president was
a serious mistake and he will find before
he is through with it, that too much con-
tidence repOSed in one of his advisers,
has been ill,requited.